Kirk, J McC (John McConnachie)

Kirk, J McC (John McConnachie)
Second Officer John Kirk was the son of William Rowley Kirk and Matilda Gillespie Kirk; husband of Emma Elizabeth Kirk, of Eldwick, Yorkshire. He served on the merchant ship SS Swedru.[1]
On the 17th of April 1941, SS Swedru was bombed while in convoy by a German FW200 Kondor[2] aircraft flown by Oberleutnant Rudolf Heindl.
The ship was struck twice by 250lb bombs on the bridge. They had 15 second fuses. The crew thought they had an incredibly lucky escape, but the relief soon dissipated when the bombs both exploded.
The captain was instantly killed along with twenty-one others of which seven are unknown and are not commemorated. The ship though at the time stayed afloat, but on fire.
A few days passed and, on the 19th, an order was received from the third officer to “abandon ship.” Once completed it was then sunk by torpedoes from one of the escorts.
There were 37 survivors in this incident.
Second officer John Kirk is also commemorated on Tower Hill along with thirteen others of the twenty-one who lost their lives.
Date of Death: 17/04/1941 (Aged 34)
Service: Second Officer, Merchant Navy, S.S. Swedru.
Service Number: N/A
Burial Location: Londonderry (or Derry), City Cemetery, Sec. S. Class B. Grave 1214.
[1] SS Swedru was a cargo/passenger vessel and was launched during 1937.
[2] The Focke-Wulf FW 200 Condor was a long-range German all-metal four-engine monoplane.